Trenton reopens shuttered Cadwalader branch library

TRENTON — Another city branch library that was shuttered since August 2010 reopened Monday as one of Mayor Tony Mack’s designated “learning centers.”

“It’s a start,” said Shuantae “Hope” Bellamy, a volunteer at the newly reopened Cadwalader Branch Learning Center on Hermitage and Edgewood avenues. He said the reopening of that branch as a learning center would serve as an “educational institution” and “safe haven” for the children of that West Ward area, which is a known crime hot spot. The Cadwalader learning center will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The city in recent weeks reopened the Briggs and Skelton branch libraries as learning centers. The shuttered East Trenton library branch is expected to reopen in several weeks as a learning center. All four of the city’s branch libraries closed two years ago amid a financial crisis. The main library on Academy Street remained open under the Trenton Free Public Library’s control.